Doesn't an Adjustment Take a Great Deal of Strength?
An adjustment requires many things, but strength isn’t at the top of the list. More important than strength is speed. And way more important than brawn is brains when it comes to providing an adjustment.
An adjustment involves using controlled force, leverage, direction, amplitude and velocity. All these concepts are applied to a specific vertebra for the purpose of correcting a vertebral subluxation. If we just focus on the physics of the adjustment, it is often abbreviated as HVLA. This is shorthand for “High-Velocity Low-Amplitude.” Another word for velocity is speed and another word for amplitude is depth. In this way, you could say that an adjustment requires a lot of speed with little depth. Strength is not the main requirement.
Yes, strength is needed to an extent when giving an adjustment. But relying on strength alone will not result in a quality adjustment. A petite 120 lb. woman can provide a better adjustment than a burly 220 lb. man if speed and finesse are utilized. When it comes to the adjustment, speed heals.
A great way to hone the skills of the adjustment is through practice drills. A specific tool I use is called the Torque and Toggle. The Torque and Toggle trains me to “adjust” through a raw egg without breaking it. It takes 11 pounds of pressure to crack a raw egg. The latch on the Torque & Toggle closes at 22 pounds of pressure. The exercise goal is to transfer the adjustment thrust through the egg and close the latch without breaking the egg. This demonstrates the specificity, speed, and safety of a chiropractic adjustment.
Chiropractic is founded on a philosophy, a science and an art. To a great extent, the adjustment is the pinnacle of the ‘art of Chiropractic.’ Art requires conscious skill through knowledge and experience. The same can be said about the Chiropractic adjustment.
Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP is a pediatric, family wellness and upper cervical specific Chiropractor. He is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Jarek has postgraduate certification in Pediatric Chiropractic through the ICPA. Dr. Jarek also has postgraduate certification in the HIO Specific Brain Stem technique through The TIC Institute. Dr. Jarek is happily married to his wife Regina. They live in Youngstown, Ohio with their daughter Ruby.
